There is a broad spectrum of what makes up youth services, the youth offer and youth work. Each element has an important role to play in the local offer for young people.
Youth work is a distinct educational process to support young people’s personal, social, emotional and educational development. It begins with the development of a unique, challenging and developmental relationship with young people, which is utilised to:
- explore their values, beliefs, ideas and issues
- enable them to develop their voice, influence and place in society
- facilitate learning practical and life skills that will help them to realise their full potential.
Youth services are an umbrella term for services that provide a sense of belonging, a safe place and the opportunity for young people to enjoy being young. This can include practical facilities such as a youth centre, activities in the community such as in the local park or using mobile facilities such as a bus. Youth work can be one part of youth services.
One of the core elements of youth work is the importance of relational practice with the young people who are being supported, and the focus on youth voice. Young people value having someone who is understanding, non-judgemental and outside of school and family relationships.
Youth services and youth work are delivered by a range of different stakeholders, this can include the voluntary, faith and the community sector. Youth services can also be commissioned by different organisations such as Police and Crime Commissioners, schools or the NHS, or developed organically by the voluntary, community and faith sector.
Youth voice
Youth work can help young people develop and use their voice. Youth services are also a way to engage with communities that can sometimes not have as easy access to, or be less likely to engage with, services, such as those from Black and ethnic minority communities, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities or who are LGBTQ+.
Young people’s voices are central to the provision offered to them and should influence the local offer. They can choose to attend a variety of services on a voluntary basis, building a sense of autonomy and trust in practitioners that encourages engagement with further work where needed.
Youth services are one way to engage with young people and ensure that the youth voice is being considered across all areas of the council, not just services specifically for young people. This can include youth councils, SEND youth forums, children in care and care leavers groups. The LGA has collated a range of case studies on how young people’s voices can influence policy development.
Universal provision
Universal provision offers young people longer term contextual support, catching concerns early and offering the opportunity to deescalate problems before they grow. It provides young people with somewhere safe to go to, trusted workers to talk to, and engaging things to do.
Universal youth provision can cover arts, culture, recreation and sports and can include uniformed groups such as Scouts and Guides and centres such as 'Onside'. However, some young people may not have easy access to these services as they may not be accessible or available locally, not be affordable to attend or not be available at the right times. Youth services can support the extra curricular and enrichment agenda in secondary schools.
The statutory guidance highlights that there needs to be the right mix of open access services and targeted services, as providing a mix of both is crucial to meet the needs of all young people in the area.
Early intervention and prevention
Many councils have considered how youth services can be part of the early help, prevention and early intervention offer to help young people thrive and reduce pressure on statutory services further down the line. This can include locating youth workers in family hubs, working alongside the NHS and the police. There can also be a role for youth workers in schools which can provide essential support to young people and reduce the risk of exclusion and disruptive behaviour.
Detached youth workers engage with young people where they are – this is often in the community such as in streets, in parks, in shopping centres or in local hangouts such as fast food outlets. This changes the power dynamics and focuses on the relationships that youth workers can build with young people. Youth services can be a route to tackling important local issues such as anti-social behaviour, gang activity and knife crime.
The Government’s response to the independent review into children’s social care highlighted the need to re-focus the system towards family help, building the system around early help. This means local youth services could play an essential part of a strengthened early help system given their close relationships with families, tackling anti-social behaviour and supporting engagement in school.